Beyond the Pit [Pitboss Diplomacy Game] [Story Thread] . PART 6 (January 2009)

[MMC]

We find it discomforting that some civilizations are against all citizens being treated equally. Why are people afraid to let their slaves have a voice? Although we have slavery, our slaves are not treated like property. They are provided for with food, shelter and a little spending money in exchange for their servitude. Although we have not declared emancipation, we see no reason not to if we choose to do so.

The Funglish Dominion wholeheartedly agrees with, and supports, the Celtic position. Whilst we have believed since the dawn of our race that all people are equal, and as such have refused to allow Slavery to enter our lands, and we therefore do not yet see the need to make the obvious into law, we will not make any agreements or promises now that we may have need to break in the future. In the meantime, equal representation for the lowest workers and the highest lords is working out just fine.

[Pitboss Japan]

Japan has no slaves as it is so they need no voices, My people are happy they way they are so I, Emperor Nobunaga Oda, will sign the treaty and ensure the nation of Japan will live up to all the articals.

[Pitboss Maya]

To: King Orestes of Sparta
From: Pacal Ermal of the Maya
CC: Known Nations of Terra
Subject: Emancipation Sanctions

King Orestes,

A few years ago we sent a missive to you and all known nations disclosing the official democratic vote results of our 1460 Spring Equinox Assembly Meeting.

Because several nations, including your own, voiced opposition to our policy of "emancipation", we included the possible repeal of it as a vote item that year. A wide majority of Mayans voted not to repeal it, and this too was disclosed in the missive.

Understandably, I am confused as to why you would publicly state that Maya agreed to fight emancipation. This is not at all true. We have officially adopted it as Mayan policy. In fact, it is now illegal to even speak out against emancipation in Maya.

Many Mayans are sad and some even angry that long time friend Greece would even suggest the sanctions you proposed knowing full well that Maya would be a sanctioned nation. The fact that Voltan shared his knowledge of astronomy with you not long ago adds to the sting of your recent proposals.

Please realize, emancipation does not cause unrest or unhappiness. Lack of emancipation does. Wise Voltan realized this, and enacted it as one of his last gifts to his people. If your people are as happy as you claim, the internal policies of another nation shouldn't cause any significant problems.

I will make our stance clear, and I hope this does not sour things between our nations who up until recently have been friends. In Maya, all are equal. It was the dying wish of King Voltan, and is the living wish of the Mayans. We do not pressure any nation to accept it as their policy, just as I ask of you here not to pressure us to change policy.

However, just as we recognize our right to govern our people as we wish, we also recognize the right of other nations to regulate their trade as they wish. So if you want to end age old trade agreements between our people, then so be it. This is also directed at any nation who wants to follow your sanctions.

Enclosed in this letter are some Taoist mushrooms. I would ask that you consume them, then consider the integrity of criticizing the Khmer for influencing their neighbors, when that is exactly what you are attempting here. At least they gift cities and technology to those "under their thumb" as you put it. I pray our holy sacrament brings you clarity regarding your hypocrisy.

On behalf of the Mayan people, I respectfully ask for a swift response, so I may know what issues to bring to the table at the next Mayan Assembly Meeting.

- Pacal Ermal

[Pitboss Khmer]

Suryavarman 2's twilight parting retort...

As he lay in waiting a secret despatch arrived.

His aid quickly assisted him with this oral treatment and very quickly Suryavarman 2 became extremely lucid.

"And as to the Spartans, what a lot of hypocrits! They refuse our offers of recent map exchanges yet try to trick our neighbours into sharing their maps so that the Spartans get ours.

And what a joke leaving New Sparta off those world maps.

I trust my son will quickly publish the full map of the world and revoke the naming of New Sparta and call it New Meduian. It is currently being explored by Khmer and it is not settled and has much riches.

The Spartans say they want contact with the fair nations of Meduian and organise a great meeting in Athens WITHOUT the Khmer. If this is not manipulative meddling I don't know what is!

But people and nations are not fools and can see through this.

And of course all the nations of Meduian will be disadvantaged by the ridiculous Spartan proposal to ban Emancipation. Of course Emancipation is an evil to Khmer and as I proposed only the top four nations should desist and this gives other nations some time.

But all the other nations of the world are free to take up this civic as they discover it and as chosen by their peoples and governments.

I trust my son will support and form defensive pacts as required to assist any of these nations threatened by the Spartan bully boy proposal."

His aid hastily completed this transscription.

It became difficult to understand much more of Suryavarman 2's soliloquy.

He was as though rising up yet was still lying in the Mausoleum, almost gone, with final fading images...

[Pitboss Greece]

Orestes read the Khmerish transscription one of his spies had been able to copy.
While shaking his head he read it.

"So, this is a transcription that may be spread through all nations?" he asked.
"Most probably" the spy answered.
"Then we should publish a public letter as well." Orestes answered.

To all nations of the world,
let it be clear that:

A.
1. Sparta has offered his own maps to America and Celtia to show them the sea routes to Sparta.
2. Sparta did not ask maps in return
3. All Sparta asked in return was to not settle on the continent (close to Sparta) which would be revealed through this maps.
4. That was a fair request, why would Sparta publish maps of new lands to nations without asking to respect Sparta's ownership of those lands?
5. Therefore the Khmerish claim that Sparta tried to grab Kmerish maps is false. Sparta never asked any nation on the Khmerish continent for maps.

B.
1. Sparta understands and respects it that other nations do not want to give up claims on those lands without even knowing what the Spartan maps would reveal.
2. Those nations are free to refuse our map for acknowledge proposal
3. In return Sparta is obviously allowed to send maps to Celtia and America that do show the correct route, but hide the location of this continent.
4. Why would the Khmer say it is ridiculous? Sparta tries to help other nations by showing sea routes. Why can Sparta not hide some confidential information?

C.
1. New Sparta will not be settled by Spartans. Sparta has given this continent to smaller nations like Japan and Korea! Sparta will only send soldiers to defend the continent against all kinds of barbarians that want to steal it from these small nations!
2. Now the Khmer claim that they want to settle it. Why would a gigantic nation like the Khmer steal land from small nations like Japan and Korea?

D.
1. Every nation is free to embrace Emancipation.
2. Every nation is free to trade or stop trading with other nations
3. Sparta never forbid any nation to embrace emancipation
4. Sparta has the free choice to stop trading with nations that embrace Emancipation
5. Sparta has a good reason to do so, nation with emancipation cause riots and unrest in Sparta.
6. The Khmer have not the right to deny Sparta the right to create pacts and deals with other nations.

E.
1. Sparta has visited all nations it had not met in the past, and invited these nations to come to Athens and learn from the Oxford University.
2. Sparta and the Khmer have had contacts for centenia already. Therefore the Khmer were not invited, like the Romans, the Koreans, the Japanese, the Russians, etc. weren't invited.
3. The Romans, Koreans, Japanese, Russians etc. did not complain about that. They understood the difference between a "let's learn to know each other" invitation and a "let's plot against someone else" invitation
4. Sparta never asked all those nations to come at the same time. Those nations weren't invited for a meeting of any kind. They were just seperately invited.
5. When the Khmer complained, Sparta immediately accepted their invitation to come to their lands.
6. Sparta tried several time to explain these misunderstandings between the Spartans and the Khmer. The Khmer never responded to that.
7. Now the Khmer spread all those lies about Sparta, but still Sparta refuses to blackmail the Khmer.

If any nation can spot any lie in any of the above made statements, Sparta will supply this nation with one free resource of incense for eternity.

And to the Khmer: can we please finally end this?
If you can't wait for me to come to your cities, then please come to Athens immediately. We can speak face to face and end all hostilities.

I hope that you won't deny New Sparta to smaller nations like Japan and Korea.
The Small nations of your continent have recently already gotten parts of the late Incan empire.

Orestes of Sparta

[Pitboss Greece]

This is a part of the message I have sent to the Celts.
I publish it here to prove that Sparta never tried to steal Khmerish maps, but only tried to help both the Celts (by providing maps) and smaller nations like Japan and Korea, by claiming land for them.

I am willing to supply you with maps of the world.
These maps are very detailed and contains all of our continent.
It does also show unsettled land masses.

Sharing our maps with you can only be done if you are willing to support Sparta in their claim on the unsettled land mass, west of Sparta.
We will not settle it ourselves, we want to help the Japanese, our friends, to settle it.
If you will support us there, we will give you our maps.

I hope that you understand that I cannot give you our maps, and thus the location of this land mass, if you won't back us up there. We cannot run the risc that other nations use our maps to settle there first.

[Pitboss Khmer]

Suryavarman 3

Suryavarman 3 smiled as he witnessed his father's influence even on his death bed.

The Spartans protesteth too much, he chuckled.

He would let the reputation of the Khmer speak for itself.

[Pitboss Greece]

"Any word from Suryavarman" Orestes asked.
"No sir" the vice chief said.

"I think that he'd rather hides behind his 'good' reputation, then just replying to the facts, or admitting he was wrong" the King answered.

"Only really wise and good kings dare to admit their mistakes sir" the vice chief said.

[Pitboss America]

The Hovel Report

State of The Nation

We have been remiss in not filing a hovel report for some time. Our apologies to our citizens and other nations of the world, which continues to expand it seems each year.

Our nation builders have been busy. The capital of Washington has been reestablished. Roosevelts home and centre of our nation was restored to its former glory - repainted after its burning by the northern barbarians. The local inhabitants now refer to it as the White House. A national epic was created to celebrate the reestablished capital.

New cities of Chicago and Terra Haute have been establised to occupy our eastern lands. A road way linking all our cities has been completed.


The city of Terra Haute is placed beside some rich vineyards that will hopefully produce wine as sweet as that of mothers milk, since it rests beside a mountain that the new comers have named Breast Mountain.




The city of Chicago is on our eastern shores which will soon prosper with the building of a harbour. But the occupants are constantly on guard. They unfortunately still have to repel invading barbians from coastal raiding ships that patrol our eastern cold shores. A horse archer quickly dispatched the latest attack. Visiting galleys should be on watch for the barbarian raiding ships that occupy the eastern seas known as the Barbarian Sea. We lack the galleys ourselves to dispatch the raiders so if any nation would like to assist in destroying the raiders it would most appreciated.

The two cities that were granted to us by our friends HRE have been renamed Denver and Seattle. Seattle is experiencing a boom and population increase as many Americans are travelling to see the recent work of the great artist called Poof Diddly. He travelled to Seattle and fell in love there with the trees and the sea. He is often seen running completely naked abusing himself running along the beach between paintings. He is quite mad. The locals have learned to live with it as his paintings are impressive. His latest work known as My Beloved Beach.



A call has been raised for new workers as we are drastically short. When the building program is complete it is hoped to help the economy develop as our new expansion has caused a massive deficit. This is causing much discussion of bail outs and hand outs in the council of cities in Washington.

Free Nation Or Not



Hear ye. Hear ye. A special proclaimation from the White House. A recent visit by Greece as prompted some suggestions that we are not a free people. I Roosevelt would like to set the record straight.

We were asked to support Greece in their claims to lands to their west. We were invited to their meeting but I responded we don't know where that is nor do we know the lands that they talk about .. would you be willing to share maps? It was at that time I saw our Celtic brethen were asking our protector Khymer if this was permissable and Khymer responded he preferred we didn't.

I agreed on my own accord but I admit I was disappointed that I would not benefit from the maps, and that likely provided a negative tone to my private reply to Greece, which was interpreted that we are not a free nation.

For the record though ... the loyalty to my own allies on this continent is the determining factor for all decisions. What our foreign policy is does not imply there is less freedom in America. The American people are free to make their own decisions and the American nation will always make that its priority. Live Free or Die.

= Roosevelt

[Pitboss Spain]

Hello Suryavarman 3

You talk about being fair to all on Meduian and yet you are again breaking into Spanish waters. Suryavarman 3 we had an agreement to pull back our units from each others borders. Why are you breaking this now, if Khmer is so noble as it is trying to show the world do not break agreements that you sign with other parties. I trust that you will pull back immediately your galleon from my territories.

Penelope

[Pitboss Celts]

[QUOTE=Pitboss Greece;5521914]Greetings to the Celtic leaders,

I am disappointed that your latest response was that negative!
The Spartan intention was to create new connections with nations far away.
I never had the intention to cause this unrest.
What is the reason that you, and also the Khmer in a letter earlier, are that suspicious? Are there reason to be suspicious? Speak open to me, if there are things we need to discuss.
[\quote]

How would you expect us to react knowing that a map trade was imminent with our neighbor and ally America, especially since you had not made any contact in the last few years? We are sorry to offend, but the lack of communication after our last message indicated to us that you were no longer interested in communicating with us. Again, we hope that you can view this situation from our side.

Although you do not demand an apology, we feel the need to do so. It was never our intent to show our temper to you, and the almost map deal with America really bristled us. No doubt your messenger was on the way when we received that information.

[Pitboss Celts]

To Suryavarman 3

The Celtic people mourn with you at the loss of your father. He was a great leader full of vision and his willingness to help the Celtic people will never be forgotten.

[Pitboss Celts]

Orestes received a 2nd letter from the Celts.
"That's what I want my people to be: happy. And now I have heard about possible riots if other nations adop this 'emancipation' thing. How can these celts be happy with riots? Why does he want to bring unrest to our cities? Why does he want to slay our slaves, who are currently very happy?"

"I don't know" the chief scibe said.

"Our slaves are well protected! They get a house and food from their masters, they are treated very well! It's exactly this caste system that has given that much profit o all Spartans! And now this foreigner, who lives far away from Sparta, wants things to chance in Sparta? I do not interrupt with is internal politics either, do I? SO let them stay away from ours. I just don't want his internal politics result in riots in our cities. Everbody is happy in here Sparta. EVERYONE."

We are confused by this. We are not encouraging riots of any sort. In fact we have not had an slave riots that we can recall in our history. Certainly we would not be happy if riots occur in our cities and adopting emancipation would certainly prevent that, would it not?

My comments were not directed at Sparta and asking to change your internal structure. However, we do not understand why Sparta nor any of the other nations listed are against slaves gaining their freedom. This was a general discussion of the situation and should not be taken as personal interference to the workings of your civilization.

[Pitboss Celts]

It was at that time I saw our Celtic brethen were asking our protector Khymer if this was permissable and Khymer responded he preferred we didn't.

The Celtic people would like to clarify that we only informed the Hastings conference participants of the contact from Sparta and asked if there were any secrets that needed to be kept amongst us. We did not conclude based on the Khmer statements (ooc: already posted in this thread) that we were not to trade maps. We interpreted the comments in that we were not to tell Sparta that we had exchanged maps with Khmer.

[Pinchak]

Edit: Issue taken care of, thanks America. And thanks for another edition of the hovel report!